Escapees March-April 2019 Vol 40 Issue 5

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featuring many articles, tips and pictures supplied by you. The advent of the Internet brought us the ability to share information on an unprecedented scale. You can connect with one another, and with us, on our forums and our social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and RVillage. We are always only a button-click away. We listen to you. We honor your voices by continuing to create content that appears on our website. This content is geared towards making you more successful RVers, and it’s designed to help foster your sense of adventure and wonder. Even our education programs, RVers Boot Camp and RVers Online University, are heavily influenced by the issues you face and the topics you care most about. Your ability to influence the group extends beyond the sharing of information. The community is strengthened when you gather together and share the RV lifestyle. Consequently, we work hard and host events, such as HOPs, Convergences and Escapades, to provide you with the opportunity to visit with old friends and make new ones. And we rely upon your comments and sugges- tions to help us design and improve those events. When you need more contact with the community, chapters and our special interest groups, called Birds of a Feather, or BoFs for short, offer you the ability to tailor your community experience. If you haven’t found a chapter or BoF that suits you, what better way to influence the community than by establishing your own chapter or BoF group? The ability to influence the group, to know that your voice matters to others is essential to the formation of a community. But, the real magic of our community is our shared emotional connection.    The one definitive characteristic of our community is that we are all in this together. Escapees are renowned for helping one another. We have a history of common experiences that are strange to people outside our com- munity. Many of you were told that you were crazy when you announced to friends and family that you were going to full-time RV. It’s okay. They were probably jealous. The commonality of our experiences creates a sense of belonging and identification. And belonging to this community provides emotional safety. The unofficial mantra of Escapees is “caring and sharing,” and we manifest that spirit every day, from Canada to Mexico and all parts in between. Sometimes we exhibit caring and sharing by lending a simple cup of sugar to a neighbor; sometimes we drive all night to be with a fellow Escapee in distress. But, whether the gesture is big or small, we take care of one another, and that binds us together. We know that community requires membership in a circle, the ability to influence the group and a shared emotional commitment. And we at Escapees sincerely hope you’ve found all three of these elements and that you have found your community.

                                         C ommunities take all different forms. In Coober Pedy, Australia, most of the town’s inhabitants live underground. In Whittier, Alaska, almost all of the town’s residents live together in a 14-story building, a former army barracks. And, Tonle Sap, Cambodia, is famous for its floating cities, which consist of barges lashed together. In examining communities, both psychologists and sociologists have found that these groups of people have three common elements: membership in the circle, the ability for members to influence the group and a shared emotional connection.     Typically, human communities center on a geographic location. Membership in the community begins with being physically present. Even the unusual communities of Coober Pedy, Australia; Whittier, Alaska; and Tonle Sap, Cambodia, draw their circle being physically pres- ent in a set location. Our community is not location dependent. We travel by nature. In fact, in our community you don’t even need an RV to be one of us. Some Escapees members haven’t bought their first RV, while others have hung up their keys. However, they all still belong. According to indepth studies, a community draws a circle by providing individual members with emotional safety and a sense of belonging. You have to feel like you fit in. We have often promised to always remain inclusive. Your race, religion, political views, income, RV type, or if you are a weekender or a full-timer, it doesn’t matter. If you have a passion for travel and respect for others, you will always be welcomed with an Escapees hug, and you will always have a place to call home. However, it is not enough to feel like you fit in; you also need to have the ability to influence the group.      We sincerely hope that you find that your voices matter. Your voices matter to us and to your fellow Escapees. We pride ourselves on being interactive with you and promoting your interactions with each other, because through these interactions you are able to influence the group. Through our many services, you are encouraged to share your experiences and wisdom. This magazine you are currently reading began 40 years ago as a humble newsletter designed to enable RVers to share their travel tips and to stay connected. Today, Escapees magazine stays true to its roots by

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